The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-01
KOSCIUSKOS PRETTY LAKES
ACounty Which Is Three-Fourths Water
and Contains Thirty-Seven Lakes.
Company As Second Week in Camp at Big and
Little Eagle, and How the Time Was
Spent-Where to Catch the Willy Bass.


3o-Company AS second week in camp at
Spring Fountain Park, the banks of Eagle
lake. one of the prettiest bodies of water il the
State, differed little from the first one. except
that there was a tendency to laziness and
quietude not noticeable in the first few days.
This feature, however, was attributable to the
fact that fully one-half the members were COM
PEELED TO leave for their homes the beginning
of the second week. changing the camp scene
from of restless activity a shadow of its
former self.
During the outing of the company. Captain
Kercheval made good use of the large drill ground
by putting his men through the skirmish line tao
tics, something that cannot be done to advan-
tage in the usual limited space or an armory
As there is great deal of new blood in the
ranks the first effort at depioying a skirmish
line was not success, a few of the boys insist
ing on pointing and firing their guns in the
wrong direction when beating retreat but
after day or two's work the green hands were
almost perfect the older ones, and by
Sunday the company able to put up
prize drill. which they did in the evening in
the presence of large crowd of sight-seers
seeking to avoid old Sol, who has been sending
forth his rays to the extent of 100 degrees in the
shade for the past fifteen days. with almost ex-
small lake. grove of native forest trees and
number of spring fed brooklets will do towards
making a place tenabe durin these days of tor
ridness, but it is a fact that, no matter how high
the mercury may be in the town. along the
roadway, around the walks of the many
flower gardens which adorn Spring Fountain
Park, rest of a few minutes in the shade of
giant oak, by the side of icy spring of water.
with your face turned toward the lake to
catch the overcoming breeze, will convince you
that the poet who longed for lodge in some
vast wilderness really wanted opportunity to
camp in this delightful
Nature has done much to make koscuisko
county a Summer abiding place for refugees
from the pentup Offices counting rooms and shops
of the towns and cities of this and other States.
1t has given it thirty clearwater lakes,
covering three -fourths of it's area and ranging
in size from Turkey lake. which nine miles in
length. to the small covering four five
hundred Among the prominent
Turkey lake. perhaps best known to Indiana
polltans Cedar beach, Big and Little Eagle
lakes. Big and Little Pike. Center, Chapmans,
Crystal named because of the wonderful
clearDess OF it's springfield waters, Big and Little
Barber. Mascalonge, Carr. Reed, Splatter dock,
Sickle Mud, Yellow Creek lake, Caldwell,
James, Redngers, Shoe-shaped like its name
but with no apparent outlet inlet-Hoffman's,
Beaver Dam, Silver, Loon. and Tamarae, which,
until few years ago. was inaccessible. being
surrounded by a quakng bog that forbade ap-
proach till some thoughtful genius hit upon the
idea OF building corduroy road to the waters
edge and thus opened up to the outer another of
these well stocked fishing reservoirs.
Some of the lakes quite shallow, notably
Big and Little Barber, but these two contain
bass and pickere to the square inch than
any other body of water of the same area n 10
state. Nearly all the lakes grown around
their edges with builrnshes, splatter-dock, var,-
Gus water grasses, and lilies OF snow white purl-
ty that charm the ewes of the ladies and cost
the young men many hours of hard work to So
cure. and which are finally left to wither il
some little spring near camp. This rank growth
of vegetable matter gives the lake a contracted
appearance at a distance more especially where
lilies abound. they have ha bit of spreading
their broad round leaves over the surface. often
hiding the water completely from view but as
the boatman approaches he finds the stems
growing in from three to eight feet of water.
and is frequently able to row half mile further
than he expected.
nun Der of the lakes are quite deep particu-
larry Big and Little Eagle. which in places at |
tains depth of seventy or eighty feet 1T has |
gradually soping beach. with sandy bottom, and |
affords the finest kind of bathing privileges, |
while il, like all the other lakes in the county, is
peopled with almost every variety OF fishes. A |
little later in the the game varieties rise
to the fly with great deal of vim. but even now
during the hot season plenty of large black bass,
immense sunfsh, cropples strawberry bass. as
they called here, goggle-eyes, pike and |
iuged perch can be caught; but it requires work |
to get the bass they can be found only in the |
vicinity of the rushes lily pads and water docks.
either early in the morning hour or two |
before sunset The favorite way of catching |
them here is whip the with buck |
tail, that is, piece of bucks tail |
to which is attached single or |
gang of hooks as the taste of the fisherman may |
desire. This is used in the way the |
arfi6 al Av hutxy wi a hes y rOH apG a
deal more expense of muscular power. The |
novice however expert he may be in casting for |
ing mp in the back end of the boat (which is
slowly propelled forward by back stroke of the
oarsman) and swinging his heavy tackle back
and forth, is not easy job. particularly if it is
windy as it usually it, Many large bass are
caught in this way. and almost every we'll
directed cast close to the lilies or docks Is re-
a rush that takes the caster uuawares. and before
he recover his wits it has his line and hook
wound around the roots and stems of the water
plants, there to free itself at its leisure.
Oftener, however, the bass fails be properly |
hooked and with a savage leap in the air. easily
frees itself from the points of the hook and |
gives the fisherman a chance to tell about the |
big one he lost Spoon hooks are used in the
same way the bucktail, and jast now
proving a sure and deceitful lure to many good
sized bass, pickerel aud ppi es, who take it
readily as the river bass will a nice, fat club All |
the bass seen here during the encampment be- |
long to the large mouth variety, bat are almost |
White and other rivers in the State. They |
range in weight from half to six pounds. the |
majority of those caught in the manner indicated |
above averaging about thirteen inches in length, |
and weighing two pounds. The greatest sport
just now is catching supfsh, large a mans
hand, red-eyes and ringed perch the latter taking
almost any kind of a bait with vigor that makes
you think Won have hooked larger and more
valuable fish. They grab for minnows, clean
your hook of worms or swallow piece of bait cut
from one of their own kind. and then make |
break for the warer-grass they feel the point /
of the barb in their mouth. The sunfish and |
goggleey also plenty and ravenous
biters, but their tastes do 60 beyond min
nows. small cray-6sh and worms. Large mum
bsrs of these fsh can be caught IN the vicinity
of the rushes where there is plenty of grass
growing in about six eight feet of water.
Give boy a boat, anchor. a short rod and
can of worms small minnows and he will re-
turn in q couple of hours time with a three foot
string of parrish. In the spring schools of